We left the house for the reflecting pool. My teeth clenched as I silently cursed the lack of time to appreciate her. Along with the others, we stood on the banks with the water crystal clear, reflecting the skies above. Unlike last night, Quentin stood next to me without a problem.
“Maybe we should tell Hunter what happened,” Quentin suggested when she waved hello to Gareth.
“No! No. We don’t want him thinking this entire project is a bad idea.”
She mulled the comment over before Gareth came towards her.
“How are you finding it?” he asked her.
“Intense,” she replied.
“That’s one way to describe it. You look beautiful, Scott.”
“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.”
Something pulled inside of me when he complimented her. I should have told her how she looked when she came down the stairs. Should have let her know she would take up many of my thoughts for the day and beyond.
“Are you okay?” Quentin asked. Her hand was on my arm, pulling my mind from the gutter.
“I’m fine.”
It came out short and sharp, and she instantly dropped her hand from me. I wanted to grab it, but Erik and Sloan appeared, and I needed to focus.
My mood lifted considerably as my godchildren stumbled over in our direction. As I played with the children, I heard Quentin’s voice.
“Oh, hello,” she mumbled.
When I looked up, Tenley, Erik’s only daughter and youngest until Cato, stared up at Quentin. She lifted her arms, and I watched the woman panic.
“She won’t break,” I said, amused at her reaction. “She just wants to be held. I can —”
“It’s okay.”
Quentin leaned down and scooped her up, placing the little girl on her hip, and Tenley laughed, wrapping her arms around Quentin’s neck. Carefully, Quen moved towards me, and I felt Erik’s eyes on us. There was a flash of warning in his blues. But who would pay attention to us when we were gathered here for Cato?
Tenley rested her head on Quen’s shoulder, and I smirked. She wasn’t a natural with children, and Ten had thrown her in at the deep end.
“What?” she asked, looking at me.
“Nothing.”
Hunter moved forward to begin the gifting ceremony. The crowd comprised the elite, and minor Gods that had ascended from lower Elysia.
“It is our divine right, when we are born, to be bestowed a gift that mortals will call upon,” Hunter’s voice rang out clearly.
Erik cradled Cato in one arm while the other wrapped around Sloan. They were dressed in their colours, beaming proudly.
“Erik. Sloan. You have welcomed a new God among us. As head of the council, I ask on behalf of us all here today that you step into the pool and allow us to bear witness to the gift he shall carry for his eternal life.”
The couple waded into the water, up to their waists. The calm pool pulsed. It swirled itself almost like a vortex around the trio, and I heard Quen gasp.
“They’re fine,” I whispered. “Keep watching.”
My aura kept her steady as a rush of knowledge passed over us and left as quickly as it came. The water around the family spiralled quicker and changed from crystal clear to an electric blue, and the crowd around us burst into cheers and applause.
Quentin popped her fingers into her mouth and leaned away from Tenley to give a shrill whistle. I grinned and let my aura slink away from her waist.
The water calmed down to reveal my brother and his family, looking as happy as the rest of us.
